Book Review :Wrong for the Right reasons .

Shyamoli Verma is back home as she has filed for divorce.She is unwelcome & so are her kids,Samar & Ketaki.Shyamoli's mom hates her for letting them down for walking out of her matrimonial home.Shyamoli's dad cannot express his love & admiration for her daughter under the watchful eyes of his wife .Though Shyamoli stays in another house owned by her parents,her mom's interference is phenomenal.

Amongst all this ,Shyamoli finds time to bake cakes,breads & cokies.Slowly she starts getting orders.Her creams & lotions which she made for her Ketaki's ultra sensitive skin has many takers as well.Her classmate Uma & his boyfriend take upon themselves to get orders for her creams .

Shyamoli expands her baking business without any help from the start up man Subodh Mishra.He regrets his decision & becomes her friend for life.Meantime ,her dad dies of stroke.Her brother comes to pay last respects.And her mom almost throws her out.Will Shyamoli have to leave everything she built up so painstakingly because she has no one who cares ? What about Samar & Ketaki ? Does her divorce with her hubby Manav come through finally ? Is Uma really her friend ?And Subodh Mishra is more than just  a good friend ?

The book has its dose of humour.Shyamoli muses ,"Giving up cigarettes is overrated,One dies anyway ."Perhaps,one of the best smoking gig .  Shyamoli's brother gifting her because she looked after their  parents & let him free. Shyamoli's mother treats her daughter as if she is her bahu is a throwback on the saas bahu saga.

The baking description & the baked goodies named in the book is too much to resist.Shyamoli is a woman who despite her problems never lets others down.A woman empowering read .So many of us will find our thoughts echoed in this book.

Wrong 

For The Right Reasons

by 

Ritu Lalit

The Blurb

Shyamoli Verma’s timing is wrong. In her late twenties, she finds that her marriage is irrevocably broken. She comes back to her parents with her pre-teen son and an infant daughter, only to find that she is unwelcome. 
Independent and brash, she decides to bring up her children and also get a divorce without any support from friends and family. 
Written with wry self deprecating humour, this is the story of a divorced woman's quest for love and security.

Buy @

Amazon.com |Amazon.

in | 

The Story Told In Pictures 

Meet the Author

Ritu Lalit is a corporate slave turned fiction writer. A voracious reader, she is a gold medalist post graduate in English Literature who spent most of her childhood in remote areas in the northeastern parts of India, lying on grassy hillsides daydreaming and reading books.

She loves spinning tales, but no longer has her captive audience as her children grew up and flew away from the coop. Her three dogs don’t pay much attention. She began writing in the vain hope that the characters she creates will listen to her, even do her bidding.

She has five books out in the market, A Bowlful of Butterflies, HILAWI, Chakra, Chronicles of the Witch Way and Wrong, for the Right Reasons. Her fifth novel, His Father’s Mistress is coming soon.

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Baked passions !

I had always been interested in baking.It looked glamorous with all icing & toppings ! It was exotic ! I looked on baking with awe.My office colleagues presented me with an electric oven when I was transferred to another office.I had no time to learn baking those days  & this when I had asked for an oven hoping to learn to bake .The oven just lay unused.After some years,I donated it to an old age home as I presumed that there are others who are waiting to bake  but for want of an oven !

Then the Microwave oven hit the markets.I brought one, imagining  that I will cook exotic dishes in minutes if not seconds.And yet, hours,days ,months & years passed before I even touched the microwave !  I was working full time &  had a baby.When my kid was about eight  years old, suddenly my interest in baking rekindled.I came across a recipe of cake & tried it.It was a date cake.It turned out fine.I had made an eggless cake with dates,maida & milk among many ingredients.Then I repeated the recipe.It turned out fabulous.Still,I never made any more cakes till two  more years went   by.I still can't understand why my baking spree ended abruptly.

Time passed.I gave up my job.I started blogging.I had to take care of my kid & so on.Slowly, as I felt more energised by my writing, to explore new avenues,I felt drawn to baking.I searched for recipes online.My initial attempts were complete  disasters as I was paying hardly any attention to details of the recipe- the measurements perhaps.Moreover,the wastage was very high as I would use the same amount of flour & other ingredients as used by experts.It  never entered my head that I could  halve the ingredients & try it.Now,when I think of the wasted ingredients,I feel ,a  whole village could have have been fed .But of course, all would have ended up with stomach upsets after eating my caked bakes !

Painstakingly,I kept trying & finally my cakes started getting better.They became fluffier.They became more healthier.I bake eggless cakes & have even made vegan cakes.I use healthy ingredients like yoghurt,buttermilk,flaxseed powder,vinegar,fruit juice,apple sauce as egg replacers.I have a microwave to bake cakes & that remains the same.I have daringly experimented.I made a cake using Sapota or chikoo fruit.I have started using multigrain atta which has a mixture of different flours like wheat,ragi,oats,corn,jowar etc.I have used jaggery in mycake recipes.I made a pineapple upside down cake using ragi or fingermillet flour ! I have used leftover flavored milk in one of my cake recipes.I brought a brown coloured powdered sugar from a local shop & used it many cakes as it is a healthier sugar.I have made chocolate cakes by using Bournvita powder ! My cake recipes make use of veggies like carrots,beetroots,& fruits like apples,bananas,,dates,pears,peaches,strawberries etc.I have even tried a banana bread which turned out awesome with a superb texture ! This is my passion -to bake from ingredients which can be commonly found at home & which are health boosters.

The best cake baked by me so far has been a cake using apple sauce -I made the apple  sauce myself, by pressure cooking the apples & pureeing the apple pulp.

I baked methi muthias for oondhiyon.I must try more savoury & salty bakes apart from sweets like cakes & breads.I made a corn bread once & it turned out  nice & crumbly.

I love baking as I feel that no other cakes can be as healthy as made by me.In the microwave,it just takes ten minutes to bake a cake which uses one cup of flour.So my cakes use less energy to get baked.So it helps me be green as well . Baking is a passion  -as the cake rises, it inflates my ego. This is so, as I don't have any assistants & junior colleagues at home ,who boosted me while  in office.Moreover, so far my cakes have not split at the top as they rose & rose.So, my ego boost is within limits !I want to slowly & surely learn to bake breads & buns.I am sure ,I will in days to come.I even intend buying an electric oven to get cakes & breads with brown crusts which is missing from my microwave bakes ! 

Just looking at pictures of cakes ,breads,buns makes me drool.I hope my bakes will make many behave the same way !

This was written for the "Baking story "contest on Magical Homes I won the first prize ...a large red heart shaped silicone cake baking dish !

Change is positive.

Change is progress.I believe in this.That is why ,I have changed & am a better person than I was.Unless,I change my attitude,I am lame to expect the world to change to suit me.

I have tried to become a calmer person & have succeeded to certain extent.There is, still a lot to achieve, on that front.I pray & try to meditate to overcome my urges to breathe fire every now & then on the smallest instance.I feel that I am slowly & surely inching towards that goal. Initially ,I would pray & complain that the Almighty was being partial towards the world & not me.Now,I know better- my prayers have made me stronger.I am able to face difficult situations unlike before.

I have become health conscious.I use less oil,salt ,refined foods,etc.I have tried to make my kid eat healthy by making her develop taste for lobhia,rajma in addition to chhole which she loves .I also include greens in parathas so that my kid can also eat green leafy veggies. I have developed a liking for baking in microwave .I keep trying new cake recipes from the net.This baking task has boosted my confidence so much that now,I have a cookery blog wherein I share my cooking experiments.

I regularly walk .I walk to the grocery store & for buying vegetables & fruits.I use public transport whenever feasible.

I left my job to take care of my kid.As I was getting bored,I took to penning down my thoughts & soon had my blog.I share my rangoli patterns on my blog as well.My Deepavali rangolis shared on face book were appreciated by many.

Now ,that I have changed myself,I can change others.I have joined PETA online & share vegan dishes with others so that the world becomes more caring towards other living beings.I do my bit for the environment by switching off lights when not needed.I switch off lights & fans in homes where I am visiting, if I feel ,they are not needed.I Take cold water baths in summers to save electricity.I try to carry  shopping bags when I am out shopping to prevent plastic pollution.

I try to use up fruits & vegetables.I have made it a point to buy less rather than buy more & waste.If I feel ,I have brought more than what I can consume ,I share with my maids & neighbours.In these days of high inflation ,it pays to avoid wastage .

I have taken up some NGO work to do my bit towards the society of which I am a part.Since I am blessed to be healthy & contented,I feel it is my sacred  duty to help others.If I want to change the world ,then I must change myself - meaning I must progress towards being a better person than before.After all ,change is the only constant, in this Jeevan Yatra !

Image courtesy Stayfree India (Albums ) on facebook.

Meri Padosan : Continues.

I had to write this post - my friend told me that my acidity is due to stress .She also revealed that my padosan is the cause of all my stress !

My padosan will come & ask for my landline phone.Once handed ,she will fumble with it .She has to be told to press the "Talk" button & so on.Still,nothing works,& I am forced to transform into a telephone operator & dial the number & hand it over to her ! And mind you ,this is not the first time ! I have lost count of the numbers now ! Good -otherwise ,I would be expected to dial from memory !

When we were to go on our trip abroad,she was happy.There was a reason behind it.They had booked tickets for a tour which included Thailand.There was a civil unrest there.Hence, they cancelled their visit.The tour operators said that they will postpone it.Since we were travelling to that side of the world where Thailand is located,my neighbour was happy that we will be travelling & returning before they embark on their trip ! This in spite of the fact, that our tour package never included Thailand ! I used to be under the impression that only the lady of the house was eccentric & soon realised I was wrong ! Her hubby  asked us, if all was safe during our tour as Japan had recently witnessed Tsunami & there had been civil unrest in Thailand ! We never visited Japan & neither their package tour included Japan ! After all this fius,they shopped like mad & got diamonds,shoes ,tees etc from their trip !


Last week, she rang my bell at eight in the night to borrow elaichi sorry  to get elaichi.It is not borrowing as she never had an  intention to return it ! She told me that as it was pitru paksh,all elaichis had been used up & her son ( who is an adult & employed ) wanted a sweet at that time ! I just gave in.I don't want people lying through their teeth .After all ,because she needed elaichis from me ,she lied.Sab paap mere sar par aa jayeega !

My padosi family is all of a kind - the borrowing variety.I had gone to the local pharmaccy store.My padosan's daughter in law  who stays with her in laws was also at the shop.I brought some medicines at the shop & paid.My neighbour's  bahu brought some shampoo ,cream,face wash etc.Then she enquired if the pharmacy store accepted credit cards.When that was refused ,she said that she will pay later & walked off ! I understood this as sangat ka asar- when a person stays in the  company of another, even for some time, ,some habits,do creep in our subconscious mind .They , then manifest themselves into the conscious world ! This borrowing was handed over to her, by her saas.Her saas is  notorious in our society for having  borrowed money & things from almost all the residents !

Recently ,I made an egg less  banana cake.I distributed to all my neighbours.My padosan came & praised my cake.I fell for it & told her the ingredients & that, I made it in the microwave.She  asked me the vessel in which I had made it.I showed the  branded glass ware which I had used.She hinted, that she might borrow it . When I mentioned this to a friend ,she quipped that even if the glassware breaks ,what are a few glass pieces, if peace can be brought with the padosan ? ! My neighbour is a non -vegetarian.She wanted to pass on the cake to her daughter's sasur ( father in law ) who is recovering at a clinic after surgey as he is a
vegetarian !

Next day ,my neighbour declared, that, she had brought all the ingredients for the banana cake & she wanted me to make it in my microwave & hand it over to her ! I informed her, that I had attempted it for the first time & by fluke ,it had come out well .She replied, that even if it gets spoilt,she will not mind.I tried to wriggle out of the situation by telling that bananns need to be over ripe for the recipe.Next day ,she said that she has pureed the banannas & she wanted to give it to me for baking the cake.I told her that  the microwave has konked out .She told me that all her purreed banans were getting wasted.I told her to make sooji ka halwa ( rava kesri )& add pureed bananas to it ! That would  be more yummy than the cake & does not need the microwave !

Now all my baking has to stop -lest my padosan learns, that the microwave is fit enough to make  the banana cake !